


Broncos, Seahawks and pasta salad

by bunnysworld



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, M/M, Post Break-up, Super Bowl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-11
Updated: 2014-02-11
Packaged: 2018-01-11 23:27:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1179204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bunnysworld/pseuds/bunnysworld
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur sees Merlin for the first time since their break-up months ago. This is awkward.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Broncos, Seahawks and pasta salad

If Arthur was honest, he felt sick. He wanted to do something else this year, go to a sports bar or some huge party with lots of people he didn’t know. But his friends insisted he came to their SuperBowl party, just like he did every year. So he made his infamous pasta salad (about the only thing he could cook without the help of a catering service), tried to take a nap in the afternoon and failed and then tried to be fashionably late.

But as soon as he entered Leon’s and Percy’s place, he knew it had been a mistake. Arthur had been hoping against hope that Merlin would not come to watch the SuperBowl with their friends but since SuperBowl Sunday was Merlin’s holiest holiday of the year…Arthur swallowed hard when he caught a glimpse of him. Merlin was as gorgeous as ever, clad in a pair of jeans Arthur had never seen on him before, the jersey of his favorite team – even though they hadn’t made it to the final – and a matching baseball hat on his black hair that he now wore a bit longer than Arthur remembered. 

All those months he had tried to get over it, had tried to go on with his life. But seeing Merlin now, ten months after they broke up, hit him harder than he wanted to admit. Even though Arthur tried to keep on the other side of the room all evening long, his eyes were drawn to Merlin again and again. 

“Why don’t you go talk to him.” Gwen put her hand on Arthur’s arm.

“What? Who?”

“Merlin. Go, talk to him.”

Arthur took his eyes off Merlin long enough to throw Gwen a look. “You know I can’t.”

Her brown eyes turned sad. “Both of you are suffering. You know Merlin’s my friend, too, we’ve been in contact these last months.”

“He’s over it, just look at him.” They looked over to where Merlin was laughing about something Gwaine had said.

Shaking her head, Gwen patted Arthur’s arm. “He is just as much over it as you are.”

Which was not at all, but they didn’t need to say it, everyone knew. 

The evening went on and more than once, Arthur was tempted to go over and just say hi, but each time he gathered his courage, someone cut him short or Merlin turned and went somewhere else and got out of Arthur’s sight.

So it took Arthur by surprise when he went into the kitchen to get himself another drink and found it deserted but for Merlin, who was putting a generous helping of his pasta salad on his plate. 

“Merlin.” Arthur stopped in his tracks.

“Hello Arthur.” Merlin just stood there with his plate and looked at him.

“I’m…I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have come here.”

“They are our friends, Arthur, you have as much right to be here as I do. They asked us to come, so…”

Arthur felt the palms of his hands starting to sweat and he tried to think of something to say. Merlin looked so good and he missed him so much. “How’ve you been?”

“Me?” Merlin fiddled with the fork he held underneath his plate. “Fine, I think. I’m…,” he looked up, “to be honest, not so good. I’ve missed this.”

“You’ve missed my pasta salad?” Arthur felt like throwing up from nervousness. Had Merlin probably missed him at least a little bit? Was there hope?

Chuckling, Merlin shook his head. “That, too. But no, really, I’ve missed you. How are you, Arthur?”

Arthur swallowed hard. “I…” I’ve missed you, too, I love you, can you forgive me? “I still wonder what went wrong.”

“I..,” shrugging, Merlin set his plate down and shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. “I don’t even remember what we were fighting over.”

“Just that we thought it was better this way. But…” It was a mistake. A huge mistake. 

Elyan poked his head in. “Kick-off in two!” With that, he was gone again.

“Maybe we should…” Merlin looked at the door.

“Merlin? Can I call you some time? So we could…I don’t know…talk?” Arthur held his breath. This was the moment. Merlin could crush him completely and he would never recover from it. 

“How about…I know you want to watch the game…but…we could talk now?” Merlin fiddled with adjusting his baseball hat nervously.

“Screw the game.” A careful smile spread across Arthur’s face.


End file.
